Just like your own home, only better

Private houses to rent in the bush or on the beach come with all the trimmings, finds Jo Foley

The smartest safari visitors are opting for true one-upmanship and renting their own private houses. The decor will be just as grand and the environment just as wild as in the best camps, but what private villa holidaymakers also get is the freedom to set their own schedule for communing with the wildlife - particularly useful for families. The bandwagon has started rolling and more safari specialists, as well as villa owners throughout South Africa, see this as the hot option for ever more discerning guests. The private beach house market also continues to provide some highly desirable homes from home.

1933 at Lion Sands

In a private game reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park, with jaw-dropping views across the Sabi River, Lion Sands has been owned and managed by the More family for four generations. The new 1933 lodge commemorates the year the great-grandfather of the current generation first went